Politics
Aluu Four In the Eyes Of Rivers Assembly
Death is certainly an inevitable end for all mortals, but no
one is privileged to know when, where and how it will take place. The Holy
Bible condemns killing in whatever form as reflected in Exodus 20:13 “thou
shall not kill”.
The constitution of Nigeria guarantees right to life and
even the golden rule says, “do unto others as you wish them do to you”. The
social and conventional media are being inundated daily of gory incidents of
man’s inhumanity to fellow man and this raises a lot of moral questions on the
people.
It appears that moral values of our society are on serious
decline, otherwise how do we explain the senseless killings perpetrated by the
Boko Haram Islamic Sect in the North.
Just recently, three young men said to be indigenes of Etche
were alleged to have been burnt to death by yet to be identified persons for
reasons that are still sketchy at a border community between Etche and Ikwerre
in Rivers State.
Unconfirmed report says one of the victims was a medical
student undergoing his House manship training.
Unlike the Aluu killing, the offence of this persons cannot
be ascertained and their case was not captured in the social media but their
families are devastated.
On Tuesday precisely October 9, 2012, a middle aged man was
alleged to have taken his own life by jumping down from the top floor of the Federal
Secretariat in Port Harcourt.
The killing of four University of Port Harcourt students by
a mob at Aluu community, which lasted about two hours, has again revealed the
stark reality that Nigerian citizens are not safe in their fatherland.
Infact, it is difficult to fathom the scenario created in
the social media that fellow citizens watched the jungle justice and even
contributed ideas on how best to carry out the extra judicial killing.
Since the inception of the University Port Harcourt, one
cannot remember the killing of four University of Port Harcourt students by a
mob at Aluu community, which lasted for about two hours, has again revealed the
stark reality of the nation’s porous security system.
Infact, it is difficult to fathom the scenario created in
the social media that follow citizens watched the jungle justice and even
contributed ideas on how best to carry out the extra-judicial killing.
Since the establishment of the University of Port Harcourt
in the late 70s, one cannot recall when this kind of barbaric scene occurred in
Aluu Community, even at the worst of provocations by the students, especially
when the institution was notorious for cult activities. During the period,
innocent community members lost their lives.
Then, it was regarded as the price the people had to pay for
hosting such an establishment, so what went wrong? Has the glory of modern
Ikwerre community departed from Aluu? Have the strangers resident in the area
upturned the psyche of the ever peaceful Aluu people for which they were known?
The allegations against the four students range from
stealing, raping to cultism and possession of dangerous weapons as well as
inflicting body harm on residents of the community, leading to the setting up
of a vigilante group which allegedly arrested them at the wee hours of Saturday
morning with stolen mobile phones and laptops. While they were paraded a female
resident was said to have identified one of them as a rapist.
Agreed that the students were guilty of the crime proffered
against them, does that confer on anyone the right to condemn them to death
without trial?
The rule of law stipulates that only a court of competent
jurisdiction can pronounce a suspect guilty of an offence and prescribe
appropriate punishment accordingly.
The lawmaker representing Omuma constituency in the State
Assembly, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, on Wednesday brought a motion on the floor of the
Assembly condemning the extra judicial killing and carnage in Aluu community in
Ikwerre local government area.
Presenting the motion, Hon Nwogu said “we are all aware of
the killing of four students of the University of Port Harcourt. The incident
has continued to generate condemnation, outcry and even sparked off
demonstration leading to destruction of properties by students of the
institution”.
The lawmaker named the brutally murdered students as Lloyd,
Ugonna, Tekena and Chidiaka. While referring to the video on the internet, he
said the students were stripped naked, laid down helplessly as they were
continually hit with big sticks mostly on the head and later each of them had a
tyre put on his neck.
According to Kelechi, they were initially said to have
stolen laptops and phones and later a new twist emerged that they were cultists
who had gone to attack someone in the community and were apprehended in the
process. It was also alleged that the students had dangerous weapons on them
when they were apprehended.
Having set the stage for debate, other lawmakers took time
to condemn the gruesome murder of the students, not the offence purported to
have been committed.
Hon. Onari Brown, representing Akuku-Toru Constituency I,
blamed the crowd for watching man’s inhuman treatment to another without
calling the attention of security agents or school authority but only found
pleasure in filming the scene to be forwarded to the net.
He blamed the Aluu community for descending so low to engage
in barbaric crime and urged the government to do everything humanly possible to
unravel those behind the dastardly act. “Justice must be done because nobody
has right to take life, no matter the provocation”.
Hon. Brown condemned reprisal attack on the community
because that would not bring back the murdered students, saying that the
students should rather demand justice. He enjoined the security operatives to
bring all those linked with the incident to book.
Hon. Aye Pepple, representing Bonny, took a swoop on the
need to reform the police and other security outfits in the country,
emphasising that what happened in Aluu is a daily occurrence in parts of
Nigeria, leading citizens providing security for themselves in a nation where
survival of the fittest is in vogue.
Hon. Ikuniyi Ibani (Andoni) said he was personally
traumatised by the incident and wondered how this kind of heinous crime could
be committed in this modern world. He blamed the police at Aluu for not
intervening in the matter even when contact was said to have been established.
For Hon. Ibelema Okpokiri, representing Okrika: thes
incident was unfortunate, and regrettable, that a modern community like Aluu,
hosting a university should perpetrate such act in such magnitude.
He called for justice as the only way the soul of the
victims would rest in peace, arguing that reprisal attack was not an option and
blamed the students for the destructions that followed the attack.
Other speakers like Hon. Martin Amaewhule, Victor Amadi, Dr.
Innocent Barikor and Golden Chioma, described the murder of the 4 Uniport
students as barbaric, cannibalistic, dastardly and wicked, adding that the mob
threw away their sense of reasoning , for the sanity of human life to the wind.
Announcing the resolution of the House, the speaker, Rt.
Hon. Otelemaba Amachree, said the Assembly condemns the ignominious dastardly
act perpetrated by some members of the Aluu community, stating that no matter
the circumstances the people do not have the right to take the life of others.
The House also lauded the State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike
Rotimi Amaechi for his timely directive to the law enforcement agencies to
arrest the perpetrators of the heinous crime and also urged the government to
direct the security agents to be on guard to protect lives and properties in
Aluu community.
The Assembly called on the Police Commissioner to
investigate the role of the Aluu Police Station for the alleged refusal to
respond to distress call and to prevent further reprisal attack.
The Assembly also expressed satisfaction with the decision
of the university authority to declare a 7-day mourning period for the late
students, acknowledging that flying their flag at half mast shows a mark of
honour for the departed souls.
This event undoubtedly has thrown a challenge on the
leadership capacities of various communities in Rivers State to entrust only
persons with save mind to superintend over their affairs.
It also challenged the police to justify the job for which
they are paid; to detect and prevent crime, because the commotion from the
apprehension torture and killing of the students was enough to attract the
attention of law enforcement agents and probably, may have sved these four
lives.
The state chairman of the party, Dr Babandi Gumel, disclosed this in a statement signed and made available to journalists on Saturday.
According to the statement, the Jigawa PDP received news of Alhaji Lamido’s suspension with “profound shock and disappointment”.
The statement added that the suspension, which was reportedly based on allegations that Alhaji Lamido attended meetings capable of undermining party unity, amounts to an affront to justice, internal democracy and the reconciliation efforts recently championed by the PDP leadership.
The party stressed that the exercise of legal and constitutional rights within the party should not be interpreted as an act of disunity. It recalled that Alhaji Lamido approached the court after he was allegedly denied the opportunity to purchase a nomination form to contest the position of National Chairman of the PDP.
The statement further noted that the Federal High Court in Abuja, presided over by Justice Peter Lifu, ruled in Alhaji Lamido’s favour by restraining the PDP from proceeding with its national convention until his right to contest was determined.
The Jigawa PDP argued that the suspension appeared to be a punitive action against Alhaji Lamido for seeking judicial redress over an issue on which the court had already found merit.
The party also faulted the decision of the BoT for contradicting recent public statements by its chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, who had emphasised reconciliation within the party, admitted past mistakes and appealed to aggrieved members to return fully to the PDP fold.
However, it maintained that suspending a founding member who sought justice through legal means runs contrary to the spirit of reconciliation and healing publicly advocated by the party leadership.
The chairman said the suspension was premature and prejudicial, as the matter remains before the courts. He also described Alhaji Lamido as one of the few founding fathers of the PDP who has remained loyal to the party without defecting, warning that punishing such loyalty sends a negative signal to other committed members.
The party further argued that the action undermines party unity at a time when the PDP requires cohesion to effectively challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). It also insisted that there is no provision in the PDP constitution that allows for the suspension of a “life member”.
The party called on the BoT to immediately and unconditionally withdraw the suspension of Alhaji Lamido.
It also demanded that the BoT publicly affirm the right of all party members to aspire to leadership positions in line with the party’s constitution and the laws of the country, without fear of victimisation.
It further urged the BoT to retrace its steps, align its actions with its reconciliation agenda, and tender an apology to Alhaji Lamido.
The Jigawa PDP reaffirmed its commitment to a united, democratic and law-abiding Party.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, CISLAC warned that if proven, such actions would amount to a serious breach of constitutional order, legislative integrity, and public trust.
The organisation noted that Nigeria’s law-making process is clearly defined by the Constitution, stressing that any alteration of a bill after parliamentary passage undermines democratic governance and the principle of separation of powers.
CISLAC further emphasised that taxation has direct implications for citizens, businesses, sub-national governments, and the overall economy. It stated that uncertainty or a lack of transparency in tax legislation could erode investor confidence and raise concerns about accountability and the possible abuse of executive power.
The organisation described the situation as particularly troubling given the rare inclusive, and thorough public consultation that shaped the law’s final provisions prior to its passage.
“This process brought together taxpayers, civil society groups, professional organisations, the private sector, labour unions, local governments, and technical experts, ensuring that diverse viewpoints were considered and carefully balanced.
“Any unilateral changes to these agreed-upon provisions, made outside the established legislative process and without renewed public engagement, not only breach public trust but also violate the fundamental tax principle of representation, which holds that citizens must have a meaningful voice in shaping the laws that govern how they are taxed. Such actions undermine democratic accountability, weaken the legitimacy of the tax system, and risk eroding public confidence”, it noted.
CISLAC expressed particular concern that uncertainty surrounding the authenticity of the tax law, coming at a time when a new tax regime is expected to take effect, could exacerbate the economic hardship already faced by many Nigerians.
It observed that citizens are contending with rising living costs, inflationary pressures, declining purchasing power, and reduced access to basic services, warning that implementing a disputed tax framework under such conditions, risks deepening inequality, discouraging compliance, and fuelling public resentment.
The organisation stressed that tax reforms must be anchored in clarity, legality, fairness, and social sensitivity, cautioning that any tax system introduced without full transparency, adequate public communication, and legislative certainty undermines voluntary compliance and weakens the social contract between the state and its citizens.
As part of its recommendations, CISLAC called on the Presidency to urgently publish the exact version of the tax law assented to, alongside the authenticated copy passed by the National Assembly, to allow for public and institutional verification.
It also urged the leadership of the National Assembly to promptly exercise its oversight powers to determine whether the assented law reflects the will of the legislature, including a review of the enrolled bill process.
The organisation maintained that any discrepancy discovered should be treated as unconstitutional and addressed through lawful means, such as the re-transmission of the correct bill or judicial interpretation where necessary. It further called for an independent review of the process by relevant institutions, including the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and, where required, the judiciary, to establish the facts and assign responsibility.
CISLAC noted that the controversy highlights the urgent need to strengthen safeguards at the legislative and executive interface. It recommended measures such as digital tracking of bills, public access to enrolled legislation, and more transparent assent procedures.
CISLAC emphasised that the issue is not about partisan politics but about safeguarding the integrity of Nigeria’s democratic institutions. It warned that allowing any arm of government to unilaterally alter laws passed by another sets a dangerous precedent and weakens constitutional democracy.
The organisation urged all parties involved to act with restraint, openness, and fidelity to the Constitution, noting that Nigerians deserve laws that reflect due process, the public interest, and the collective decisions of their elected representatives.
CISLAC added that it will continue to monitor developments and engage relevant stakeholders to promote accountability, transparency, and the rule of law in Nigeria’s governance processes.
